


A Little Less Small

by istie



Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: Drabble, MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT, Other, SERIOUSLY DON'T READ UNLESS YOU'VE LISTENED PAST "LIMBO"!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-15 20:13:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9254660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/istie/pseuds/istie
Summary: Eiffel's stuck on night shift again, and this time, doesn't have anyone to talk to.  Plus, doubled Wednesdays, how many scoops of ice cream will balance on one cone, and what makes a good name for a metal band.[This takes place between episode 13 "Gas Me Twice" and episode 16 "Painfully Ever After".]





	

**Author's Note:**

> SERIOUSLY. TURN BACK NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T LISTENED TO EPISODE 40 "LIMBO". YOU WILL REGRET YOUR DECISION. GO CATCH UP AND THEN COME BACK. AND IF YOU PROCEED PAST THIS POINT I CANNOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR WHAT YOU DISCOVER.

**INT. U.S.S. HEPHAESTUS STATION -- COMMUNICATIONS ROOM -- 0136 HOURS.**

 

_Eiffel SIGHS._

> EIFFEL, flatly.

Knight to F5.

> HERA

Queen to F5. Check.

_A beat._

> HERA (cont'd)

Please play your next move.

> EIFFEL 

Hera... God. You're not there. I gotta stop thinking like you're there. It just makes it not ... It's not getting any better.

> HERA

Please play your next move.

> EIFFEL

Yeah, yeah. ... Pawn to F3.

> HERA

Queen to F3. Checkmate. Game over. Would you like to play again?

> EIFFEL

...no. I want Hera back.

_A beat._

> EIFFEL (cont'd) 

I miss you. I miss your sarcastic quips, your willingness to put up with my dumb self, your ... you. I even miss the way your voice glitched, it made you feel more...human. Somehow. That's a little weird, but... I dunno. I felt a little less...small...when that happened.

And I feel really bad about that because I know you hated it! You hated not being able to say words! But man, Hera, welcome to being a human! I wish I could get my words out with half the ...chutzpah that you did! God, you...you were amazing. You were so amazing. I wanna cave Hilbert's skull in for what he did to you.

I want ... I wanted to tell you so many things. I ... I wanted to talk to you about everything. About ... About how I actually think it's really sweet that Minkowski sends birthday messages to her husband. About how I'm pretty sure that random picture in Hilbert's lab is actually his family. About how I'm still messed up about that doubled Wednesday.

...About Earth. I wanted to talk to you about Earth. I wanted to ask what you thought the weirdest pizza toppings would be. What makes a good metal band name? How many scoops could you theoretically balance on an ice cream cone?

I wanted to talk to you about...about Anne. And Kate. And how I loved them so much and how I made stupid, stupid decisions. About how Anne's smile always broke my heart and made me feel like I was on top of the world at the same time. About the scribble drawings she'd make for me. About the way Kate looked at me when she still loved me. Before I ... Before we messed up. About trying to get Anne to eat her peas. About the way Kate laughed when I fed Anne as a baby.

I wanted to talk to you about ...stuff. Stuff like...what is beauty, what's art, do you even have a concept of art? How does that work for an AI? How do you feel? What do you feel? Do you like us? Do you like me?

...do AIs ever get...bodies? Is that a thing we do? Could I ever look at...you? Do you get to choose what you look like? Would it be weird running a body instead of a space station? Would you get bored? Could we hang out? Would you be able to eat pizza and ice cream and swing on a swing set and sit on a couch and try to make a kid eat peas? Would you... would I...

...what's the point. You're gone. Hilbert killed you. Neither Minkowski nor I know how to fix you and there's no frickin way I'm letting Hilbert anywhere near you again. No way, no how.

...can you give an AI a funeral? Are you even dead? Is that a thing for AIs? Or are you just...there, but not thinking? You still sound like you. Sort of. That's the worst part, too. You still sound like...like you're just playing a game. Pulling my leg. You're gonna go glitchy again any second, and say "hey Dougie boy just yankin your chain! I was here all along!"

But you don't. So. I guess... I guess that's it.

I miss you, Hera. I wish you weren't gone. I...

I miss you.


End file.
